Glasgow Labour MSP Anne McTaggart has secured cross-party support in the Scottish Parliament for her proposed Organ Donation (Scotland) Bill.

Member’s Bills require the support of 18 MSPs from three parties to get a hearing in Parliament.

Within 24 hours of seeking support for her proposals, Ms McTaggart surpassed this requirement and received the backing of 22 of her fellow Scottish Labour MSP’s, along with two Liberal Democrats and one Member each from the SNP, the Conservatives and the Greens.

Having now secured the required support from MSPs, Ms McTaggart will be able to formally introduce the Bill to Parliament if the Scottish Government does not indicate that they intend to introduce any equivalent legislation by February 5th

The consultation on the proposed Bill received 559 responses from a wide range of individuals and organisations with an interest in the subject. 80% of responses from individuals were positive with support also forthcoming from organisations such as the British Heart Foundation, the British Medical Association, the Cystic Fibrosis Trust and the Scottish Youth Parliament.

Ms McTaggart said “I’m delighted that my Bill has secured cross-party support so quickly. It’s a true reflection of how strongly people feel about an issue which crosses party political boundaries. I would like to thank the MSPs who have signed up so far and I would encourage others to do so. This means that one way or another the proposals contained within this Bill will now be heard in Parliament which is fantastic.

“With three people dying every day across the UK we simply cannot afford to wait any longer on this issue. As the British Heart Foundation pointed out, it could take another 13 years to address organ donor shortages without a change to a ‘soft opt-out’ system. Action needs to be taken now.”

You can read the responses to Ms McTaggart’s consultation and the consultation summary here.